nuit
/nɥi/feminine
The English word "night" is nuit in French.
nuit refers to the period of time between sunset and sunrise. When used in the phrase Bonne nuit, it functions specifically as a parting salutation used when someone is going to sleep.
Meaning: period between sunset and sunrise (noun)
Which one should you use?
While nuit refers to the period of darkness, soir is used for the evening hours between late afternoon and bedtime. In informal settings, one might use La soirée to refer to a night spent socializing or attending events.
How does it change in a sentence?
nuit is a feminine noun, so it is used with the feminine article la to form la nuit.
How do you pronounce it?
/nɥi/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using Bonne nuit as a general greeting for the evening. It should only be used when someone is actually going to sleep.
Did you know?
- In some French-speaking regions, the term nuit blanche refers to a 'white night', meaning a night spent without any sleep.
- In French, the phrase faire nuit is used to describe the specific moment when it becomes dark, rather than just stating that night exists.
- The word nuit shares a common ancestor with the English word 'night' and the Latin 'nox', both descending from the Proto-Indo-European root '*nókʷts'.
Examples in context
- Quelle belle nuit !What a beautiful night!This example shows how to express admiration for the night using nuit.Tatoeba #1157543 by sacredceltic, translation #1300117 by CK
- La nuit est chaude.The night is hot.This sentence describes the temperature of the night using nuit.Tatoeba #1183815 by sacredceltic, translation #1183801 by Scott
- Bonne nuit à tous !Good night, everyone!This example demonstrates the use of nuit in a parting salutation for a group.Tatoeba #1226174 by sacredceltic, translation #1082672 by MUIRIEL
- Bonne nuitGood night
- Je vous retrouve le soir à huit heuresI'll meet you in the evening at 8 o'clock
- Bon anniversaire, passe une bonne nuit !Happy birthday, have a good night!
- On se voit à la soirée ce soir ?Shall we meet at the party tonight?
- On se rejoint le soir, ça te va ?Shall we meet in the evening, does that work for you?
- Bonne nuit, madame. Passez une bonne soirée !Good night, madam. Have a nice evening!
- Bonne nuit les amis, à demain soir pour la fête !Good night, friends. See you tomorrow night for the party!
- 1368 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are planning a trip to the city.
- EmmaEst-ce que la ville est calme la nuit ?Is the city quiet at night?
- GabrielNon, c'est très animé même tard la nuit.No, it is very lively even late at night.
- EmmaJe préfère marcher pendant la nuit alors.I prefer walking during the night then.
- GabrielD'accord, nous ferons cela ensemble.Okay, we will do that together.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “night” translations and entries nuit, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nuit, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
